Homemade Toothpaste

Homemade Toothpaste…yes it is possible

I have been buying all “natural” fluoride free toothpaste for a few years now. And while the debate on fluoride has been going on for many years now, here is a link to what I find to be a detailed and interesting article on the issue {Weston Price Foundation}.

I don’t plan on spending this post arguing about the fluoride issue and do not want this to turn into a negative debate in the comments section so please, if you believe in fluoride being in your toothpaste and water, do not use this recipe and continue buying your current toothpaste.

Now, back to how you can SAVE money! As mentioned, I have been buying organic toothpastes for many years and spending a silly amount of money doing just that. For some reason, despite making all of my own cleaning products, detergents, soaps, and more, I kept spending money on toothpaste instead of making my own. And then I ran out of my expensive toothpaste and had to use the sample ones from the dentist. I saw my daughter get suckered in by the colorful dancing toothbrushes on the tube and the sparkles within the paste. She even admitted to not spitting it all out because she wanted the inside of her belly to sparkle like the the toothpaste. I decided one night to read the ingredients out loud to her and after just a few she said “I don’t think that is probably very healthy for me.” Smart kid. I challenge you to read the ingredients in a tube of toothpaste and not come to the same conclusion. Here are the inactive ingredients in her toothpaste:

sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS: is an additive that allows cleansing products to foam. According to the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database, SLS is a “moderate hazard” that has been linked to cancer, neurotoxicity, organ toxicity, skin irritation and endocrine disruption. {livestrong.com}

trisodium phosphate: used as cleaning agent, lubricant, food additive, stain remover and degreaser….No longer used in most cleaning products due to environmental damage. {wikipedia.org}

blue 1: has been linked to ADHD, allergies, and asthma. In 2003, when Brilliant Blue was used as a dye in feeding tubes, the FDA issued a public health advisory because of side effects like blue-tinged skin, urine, and feces, as well as hypotension and death. In particular, the team found, the blue dyes can seep into the bloodstream when the skin’s barrier is impaired, like after shaving, or when the dyes are exposed to the mucous membrane of the tongue {foxnews.com}

I get angry when I think about the chemicals that exist in cleaning products that we spray- inhale, touch-absorb. I get even angrier about the chemicals that are in products that go inside our children’s mouths. And let’s not kid ourselves (no pun intended), kid toothpastes are made to taste delicious and our kids do NOT spit out 100% of the toothpaste. And as mentioned above, blue 1 is absorbed through the tongue and how many times have you told your kids to brush their tongue???

So your options are expensive “natural” toothpastes like Tom’s of Maine which still contain added ingredients such as glycerine. Glycerine helps give toothpaste its pasty feel, it’s unnecessary and it coats your teeth like plastic wrap blocking your teeth from re-mineralizing or maintaining the proper balance of nutrients. Toothpastes with glycerine “require 20 rinses to get it off” (Judd, Good Teeth, Birth to Death) {givemethedirt.com}

Or you can simply make your own toothpaste, eat a healthy diet and visit the dentist twice a year to make sure your teeth are healthy. I’m going with that option. And the recipe that I use for homemade toothpaste is easy as can be. You need just two ingredients and a third for flavor (optional).

HOMEMADE TOOTHPASTE

Peppermint Oil or other essential oil such as cinnamon or orange for flavor (not extract)

All three ingredients can be found at my Amazon Store

Simply mix equal parts baking soda and coconut oil and add the peppermint oil one drop at a time until you reach your desired flavor.

I made the toothpaste with Vivi and let her adjust the flavor. She is so proud of her toothpaste jar now and is the first to tell you about how she has REAL toothpaste, not gross stuff. There are plenty of great recipes out there for homemade toothpaste using other ingredients. I just knew that for myself, making a recipe based on what I had on hand worked best for my first go at homemade toothpaste. However, I do plan on branching out with new recipes with additional ingredients to stay tuned for those!

In the meantime, happy brushing and happy saving money. Make sure to share this on your social media site of choice to help spread the word about Becky’s Mindful Kitchen.

1 Comment

Darren
on November 12, 2014 at 5:42 pm

Sounds great! I can’t wait to try this out once we run out of our expensive organic toothpaste…